PLANT STUDIES

Rhizome Summer School

Five Wednesday evenings in July, from 5th July to the 2nd August 2017 6.30pm to 9pm. ​This course will use basic botany and intuitive methods that engage our senses to identify and connect with medicinal plants. Part of each class will be spent outside exploring a different community garden and discussing the herbs we find.

Each week you will also look at a particular plant family. This will expand your understanding of how plants are organised, enable you to recognise patterns among related plants and their medicinal uses.In each class you will also make a fresh herbal medicine that you can take home.​We will discuss the practice of compiling plant information in a herbarium. Herbaria are collections of dried/preserved samples that document the identity of plants and fungi; they can be beautiful handmade artefacts, or large important databases, for example, the herbarium at Kew houses seven million specimens. You can experiment with preparing your own herbarium samples from some of the local herbs you encounter over the five weeks.

​You do not need to have been on any previous courses to join us.​Last years schedule (this year will be almost identical, but we may visit the gardens in a different order):

Theory

Practical

Week 1Easton Community Garden

Basic plant identification, looking at different plant parts, learning botanical terms and using a hand lens. An introduction to grouping plants into families and the common characteristics of some of these families.Introduction to 4 important herbs: St Johns Wort, Marshmallow, and Comfrey.

​Making an infused oil from fresh herbs

Week 2​Feed Bristol

Introduction to the Mint Family and how to identify its members. Important herbs: Lemon Balm, Lavender and Sage.

​Make a fresh herbal tincture. ​

Week 3Trinity Community Gardens

Introduction to the Sunflower Family and a close look at the anatomy of its flowers. Important herbs: Elecampane, Daisy and Calendula.

Herbal teas and decoctions.​

Week 4Feed Bristol

Introduction to the trees and flowers of the diverse Rose Family. Important herbs of this family: Hawthorn, Agrimony and Meadowsweet.

An aromatic distillate.

Week 5Windmill Hill

Introduction to parsley family, it’s delights and dangers, its tasty and toxic family members. Important herbs: Angelica, Fennel and Celery.

An ointment, using the infused oil from the first class.

Cost

£150 full ​£130 concession

A deposit of £50 is required to secure your place and then full payment is due a week before the course starts.

Cancellation Policy:The deposit is only refundable if you cancel your place no later than two weeks before the course is due to start. The full balance is payable a week before the start of the course.​